Book Review: September Doves by Emmerson Hoyt

Jackals and Vipers Duet #1

***May contain spoilers***

***Scroll to the bottom for my rating***

I would like to start this review by thanking Sunny Babe PR @sunnybabepr and Emmerson Hoyt for my copy of September Doves in exchange for an honest review. 

September Doves by Emmerson Hoyt is book one in the Jackals and Vipers duet. It focuses on the organized crime group The Jackals in Eden, West Virginia. They make up a sort of modern-day Robin Hood and his Merry Men by "stealing" from the rich and giving to the poor. 

After an unexpected and shocking phone call from her sister, Rylee drops everything and everyone to go and be with her. Following coordinates on a map to the secret location where Holly has been hiding out, Rylee experiences a whole slew of unexpected encounters—ones she doesn't anticipate to be quite so life-changing.

If you enjoy found family, open-door spice, organized crime, small-town romance, and enemies to lovers, this book is for you. I really enjoyed this story and read it in about three days. It also helped me get out of my month-long reading slump, which I am super grateful for. However, even though I enjoyed this story, it wasn't a perfect rating for me. 

My issues with this story revolved around Rylee's naivety and the "realism" of the spice. Although Rylee's naivety was well-written and good for the plot, it lasted too long. As the reader, it was clear from the beginning that the story was about organized crime. Yet, none of the main characters addressed it directly until about the last quarter of the book. 

I understand the nature of wanting to keep everything hush-hush, but with next to no loyalties remaining, I would have expected more from her sister, Holly. Still, I guess the distance between them is part of the catalyst for bringing Rylee and Colton together. I would have enjoyed the story more had Rylee come to the conclusion on her own or been given more information from her friends and sister earlier on. Considering how smart Rylee is, it seemed slightly out of character.

With the spice, not everything was unrealistic. Still, there were some scenes that I was kind of bug-eyed about, thinking, "How the f—is that working?!" or "There's just no way it's those dimensions!" So it kind of took me out of those moments. But don't get me wrong—they were still hot, heavy, and spicy. 

If you put those factors aside, everything else about the story was great. I loved the romantic relationship between Colton and Rylee, the friendships formed between the entire cast of characters in Eden, and the depth of the crime and mystery of it all. 

Additionally, I enjoyed the depth of character development for Rylee and Colton. With someone so closed off initially, it was nice to see Colton's walls break down and experience vulnerability so tangible to the reader. Equally, Rylee's attitude is very much an "it is what you make of it" kind of attitude that deepens with each new event in the story. As she found herself and began understanding who and what she wanted to be, I felt similarly called to find those things for myself. These parts of the book brought the plot to a more even, realistic playing field, which sometimes disappears in books with organized crime. So props to Emmerson for that because I feel it's likely easier said than done in a story. 

Overall, this story was really enjoyable and builds up well for the sequel—a sequel that I intend on reading. Due to my above likes and hang-ups with the book, I am rating September Doves 3.5 out of 5 stars and a 3 for spice.

As always, thanks for reading! 💜

P.S. I hope you appreciate my honesty in this rating. I am trying to be more diligent with my thoughts and ratings going forward. As much as I wish I could give every book five stars, it isn't plausible.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️